Thursday, August 14, 2008

Saving Energy with Attic Ventilation

In hot summer months proper and adequate attic ventilation is essential for several reasons. First, it helps prolong the life of your roofing. The cooler the shingles stay, the longer they last. Secondly, keeping the attic cooler and properly ventilated can make a noticeable impact on cooling bills.

Attic temperatures in hot climates can easily exceed 140 degrees. Even with good attic insulation, some of this heat will naturally radiate to the ceiling. Improving attic ventilation with electric fans or ridge vents can make a noticeable difference. Electric fans offer the benefit of forced air ventilation. They are more efficient but also cost electricity to run. Ridge vents are slots cut in the peak of the roof and covered with special ridge caps. This allows natural convection currents to come in through soffit vents and out through the ridge caps.

By reducing attic temperatures we naturally lower the cooling load on the air conditioning system and lower electric utility cost.

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